14 seek marijuana dispensaries in county

BOSTON — State public health officials have released a list of 181 applications for nonprofit medical marijuana dispensaries around the state, including 14 in Worcester County.

At this point in the licensing process applicants were not required to identify where they would locate their proposed facilities to grow and distribute medical marijuana to patients with doctors' prescriptions. But public health officials said many indicated the county in which they planned to operate. Under licensing rules no more than five can be licensed in each county of the state.

The 14 nonprofits indicating they would operate in Worcester County, and the name of the contact person for the application, are:

Voters last year approved a law permitting a maximum of 35 dispensaries to provide marijuana to patients with medical conditions, including cancer and Parkinson's disease.

A patient with a debilitating or serious medical condition is allowed to have a 60-day supply of marijuana, which is defined as up to 10 ounces. The decision on which medical conditions qualify for marijuana treatment is left between a physician and patient. Under limited circumstances, physicians can increase the amount of that 60-day supply.

Department of Public Health Commissioner Cheryl Bartlett said the two-step review process will see the department complete by mid-September the first phase to determine financial viability and complete background checks. At that time copies of the applications eligible to advance to the second phase of licensing, "will be made available to the public," she said.

That second phase, she said, will be more comprehensive and will consider appropriateness of the site, geographic distribution of dispensaries, the ability to meet needs of patients and ensure public safety and community protection.

Cities and towns cannot ban marijuana treatment centers but can adopt zoning bylaws to regulate their location. They can also enact temporary moratoriums on the development of the facilities, according to Attorney General Martha Coakley.

In Worcester, the city administration this month proposed limiting the siting of registered dispensaries to areas of the city zoned for commercial/medical, business-general, manufacturing or institutional-hospital use.

Prospective marijuana dispensaries are required to pay a $1,500 fee for submission and consideration of the Phase 1 application, and $30,000 if they qualify for Phase 2, both of which are non-refundable. Dispensaries that are selected will be required to pay a $50,000 annual fee for a Certificate of Registration. There will also be a $500 annual registration fee for each dispensary agent.

Ms. Bartlett said the state expects to award licenses by the end of the year and expect them to open within 120 days of receiving a license.

According to the list provided by DPH, 47 dispensary applications were received for Middlesex County, and 21 were received for Suffolk County. Only two were filed for Nantucket County and four for Dukes County, which includes Martha's Vineyard, and four for Berkshires County